Peaky Blinders' fan art features in BBC marketing push to draw in new audiences

Peaky Blinders fan art features in BBC marketing push ahead of fifth season

With the release date soon in sight, the BBC is kicking off its Peaky Blinders fifth season campaign. However, instead of leveraging the talent employed in its in-house agency BBC Creative, it has enlisted help from the cult TV show's fan base.

The call-to-action resulted in 1,200 entries, which were whittled down to a select few by a panel. Each fan art selected received £1,000 for their entry.

From 12 August, the work will appear in out-of-home locations across the UK in the form of murals and fly posters. Sites include the Village Underground in London and Birmingham's Custard Factory.

The campaign will also launch across digital, online and social platforms.

Discussing the campaign launch, Chris Hooper, head of marketing at BBC One and iPlayer said the move to BBC One will expose the show to a whole new audience. He said that they wanted to harness the power of its existing fandom to help bring new viewers into the fold, knowing their passion for the show is truly infectious.

He added: "The range of submissions has been incredibly diverse but each has reflected the emotional depth and complexity of the series in its own way; the quality has been truly impressive.”

Since 2013, the crime drama has followed the Shelby Family - a real Birmingham gang that wreaked havoc in post-WWI Britain. A fan favourite since its inception, throughout the past four seasons, viewers have seen the dangerous group do anything and everything to elevate its status.

Emma Brooke, creative at BBC Creative also commented: “A show only reaches cult status because of its fans, and the passion of the Peaky Blinders fans is absolutely unrivalled.

"We knew this was true when we discovered the thousands of pieces of art that were being created by them around the globe. This is all about celebrating and giving recognition to the Peaky Blinder's fans, and putting their incredible art out into the world."